Writing in Tongues

Writing in Tongues is sophisticated yet wholly accessible, completely engaging, and beautifully written. It makes particularly adept use of witty (and often hilarious) epigraphs, personal stories, and moving reflections on what it means to write in a minority language. -- Barbara Henry, University of Washington Norich tells a compelling, moving, and intriguing story. No one has studied translation of Yiddish works into English so systematically, meticulously, and sensitively. -- Hana Wirth-Nesher, author of Call It English

Examines the complexities of translating Yiddish literature at a time when the Yiddish language is in decline. The author traces historical and aesthetic shifts through versions of these canonical texts, and she argues that these works and their translations form a conversation about Jewish history and identity.

Writing in Tongues examines the complexities of translating Yiddish literature at a time when the Yiddish language is in decline. After the Holocaust, Soviet repression, and American assimilation, the survival of traditional Yiddish literature depends on translation, yet a few Yiddish classics have been translated repeatedly while many others have been ignored. Anita Norich traces historical and aesthetic shifts through versions of these canonical texts, and she argues that these works and their translations form an enlightening conversation about Jewish history and identity.